In this comic parody, Jack Gates (the counterpart to John Bates in the real series) is a perfectly suitable valet, but he's also a brilliant, daring, butt-kicking secret agent. That leg that was crippled in the Boer War? After he disables a deadly German agent with a roundhouse kick, Gates explains:

"It's called titanium, and it can kick your filthy arse back to Berlin where you belong. Devonton doesn't tolerate vagrants like you."

Gates and a few others downstairs -- and other powerful protector upstairs -- save Britain from evil foreign powers while keeping the snuff boxes rotated. Yes, some of the humor comes from the obliviousness of the upper-class twits that Gates serves.

When a pending visit from Archduke Franz Ferdinand is announced, the fate of both the world and Devonton Abbey is at stake. To say any more would be to give away the ridiculously brilliant conclusion to this adventure. I hope there will be many more.